The UK and Ireland are next out in the rollout of hardened wood products from Välinge Flooring on the European market after the launch in France, earlier in 2021. The range represents the next generation of engineered wood floors with a high level of innovation, including Välinge’s patented Woodura® surface technology and premium water-resistant fold-down system 5G® Dry™.
Simon Darbyshire has been appointed General Manager of Välinge Innovation UK to head the team to promote the new Välinge Flooring product offer in the UK and Ireland. “The name Välinge is already well known on the UK and Irish markets as many of the flooring products sold in the UK today, feature innovative installation systems such as 2G® Angling and 5G® fold-down. We are now able to offer something very new to the market with this range of finished hardened wood flooring products in XL and XXL sizes”, says Simon Darbyshire referring to these real wood floors.
The new range of floors launched are hardened wood floors made with oak, ash and walnut that come from sustainable sources of timber with the FSC certification.
“We are using the patented Woodura technology, fusing a thin sheet of real wood with a wood fiber core through a powder mix layer. Compared to traditional wood flooring, the wood wear layer durability is massively increased, and our hardened wood floors use timber much more efficiently.”
These flooring products also bring a very high water-resistance factor to the engineered wood flooring market. High water-resistance is gained thanks to the patented 5G® Dry™ – Välinge’s premium fold-down locking technology, that prevents water from penetrating through the joints between the panels.
No other engineered wood flooring has the overall capabilities and product specifications Välinge Flooring offers, which makes the products unique on the UK and Irish markets.
“As regards our target customer base, Välinge Innovation UK is looking for people who want to bring a new type of engineered wood floor to the market,” says Simon Darbyshire. “We already have a lot of interest from well-established names in the UK and Irish markets who want to develop this market sector with us, and our feedback is that the market is ready for positive change”
“High durability, water resistance, XL and XXL sizes, ease and speed of installation, all combined with environmental benefits, mean that the people we meet want to work with this floor,” says Simon Darbyshire. “The ‘Made in Sweden’ label given the country’s longstanding reputation for environmental sustainability and product quality is also seen as a positive statement here in the UK,” he adds.
Simon Darbyshire has many contacts in the industry after 30 years’ international management experience in the wood-based panels sector, including 14 years as Managing Director of the UK subsidiary of the multinational manufacturing corporation Pfleiderer, specializing in branded wood-based panels.
He now works closely with Hannes Lindblom, Director Sales & Marketing, Surface Technology, Välinge Innovation. “The launches in the US and Asia couldn’t have gone better, and we are excited to offer our next-generation real wood floors in Europe,” says Hannes Lindblom. “The reception we have had to the floors has been incredible – there’s a huge appetite for beautiful, sustainable real wood floors that can handle whatever life throws at them and we think customers in the UK and Ireland are going to love them too.
